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Hit and run: Banned cyclist Lance Armstrong charged

Disgraced professional cyclist Lance Armstrong has been charged with crashing into two parked cars in the Colorado ski resort town of Aspen, 

To make matters worse, his girlfriend initially told authorities that she was driving, police reports showed on Tuesday (Feb 4).

Armstrong was cited for leaving the scene of an accident and driving too fast for the snowy conditions in the late December incident in the resort, authorities said.

No one was injured in the accident.

Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France victories and banned for life from racing in 2012 by the US Anti-Doping Agency - after he admitted using performance-enhancing drugs.

Aspen police said Armstrong, 43, and girlfriend Anna Hansen were driving home from a fundraising event to benefit a local art museum when a GMC Yukon registered to Armstrong crashed into two parked cars.

Lance Armstrong seen here with girlfriend Anna Harris. Photo: Twitter Screengrab/@annahansen

 

Police said an Aspen resident called 911 to report a hit and run after hearing the crash and seeing the damage to two vehicles that his relatives rented.

The man said that shortly after placing the call, Hansen, 33, ran up and apologised for hitting the vehicles. She said she would pay for the damages and left her contact information, police said.

When questioned by police, Hansen said she had been driving because “ Lance had a little bit to drink” and she had lost control of the vehicle on the icy road.

Suspicious of her story, police checked with the hotel valet, who said Armstrong was behind the wheel when the couple left the parking lot.

Police confronted Hansen about the discrepancy in the story.

Wanted to avoid publicity

She ultimately admitted that Armstrong had been driving.

The couple made a “joint decision” to say she was driving to avoid publicity, the report said.

Pitkin County prosecutor Andrea Bryan said by telephone that Hansen was not charged for filing a false report because authorities encourage witnesses to be truthful.

“If we charged people who come forward, we would rarely get information from witnesses,” -  Pitkin County prosecutor Andrea Bryan

Armstrong is due in court on March 17, court records showed.

Source: Reuters

Lance Armstronghit-and-run